Step Up For Students
For most Florida families, this school costs nothing.
Tuition is $8,000 a year. The average Step Up For Students award covers all of it. There is no income cutoff to apply, and the deadline for new applications this school year is November 15, 2026.
The arithmetic
Tuition, one year
$8,000
Kindergarten through fifth grade. No separate registration or materials fee.
Average Step Up award
About $8,000
Paid to the school in four quarterly installments. Nothing passes through your bank account.
What most families pay
$0
Awards vary. We tell you exactly where yours lands before you commit to anything.
We complete the scholarship application alongside your school application, in the same conversation. You do not have to work out which program you qualify for on your own.
Three dates that matter
These are set by the state, not by us. Missing the first one means waiting for the next school year.
1
November 15, 2026
Apply to Step Up
The last day a new student can apply for a scholarship for the 2026-2027 school year. This is the one that matters. After this date, the next opportunity is the 2027-2028 school year.
2
December 15, 2026
Accept, and enroll in EMA
Accept the scholarship in your EMA account and approve our enrollment submission. Do both by this date and your child is funded from the third quarter, which means a January start.
3
January 15, 2027
The final backstop
The last date a student can be enrolled in EMA and still be considered for any funding at all this school year. If you are reading this in December, call us. There is still a path.
Which scholarship is yours
We accept all three. Almost every Florida family qualifies for at least one, and you do not need to know which before you call.
FES-EO
Family Empowerment Scholarship, Educational Options
Any K-12 Florida resident eligible to enroll in a public school. Priority for households at or below 185% of the federal poverty level. Most families use this one.
FTC
Florida Tax Credit Scholarship
Income-prioritized, funded by corporate tax-credit donations and used at participating private schools.
FES-UA
Family Empowerment Scholarship, Unique Abilities
Students with one of around twenty qualifying diagnoses, including autism, Down syndrome, specific learning disability and speech impairment. The average award is larger.
The school your child would be joining
- Kindergarten through fifth grade, ages five to ten
- Christ-centered Montessori, mixed-age classrooms
- Twelve children to a teacher
- 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM, Monday to Friday
- 1904 Michigan Ave, Kissimmee
- American Montessori Society member school
Start the conversation.
The application takes about two minutes: your details, and a name and grade for each child. Someone calls you within one business day and walks you through the scholarship from there.
Scholarship amounts vary by program and by household. Funding is not guaranteed and is administered by Step Up For Students and the Florida Department of Education, not by the school. Deadlines above are published by Step Up For Students for the 2026-2027 school year.